


RK100

by TheCephalopodAgency



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-20
Updated: 2019-02-20
Packaged: 2019-11-01 04:16:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 8,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17860121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheCephalopodAgency/pseuds/TheCephalopodAgency
Summary: "Gavin wants everyone to think he's a normal detective with a normal life but nooooo, he has to be a fucking android of all things which in this economy is terrible" -SquidsGavis in an android, RK100, built by Elijah Kamski many years before the events of the android revolution. Gavin has been successfully hiding his secret for years, with special unique upgrades, courtesy of his human brother Elijah. Until CyberLife sends Connor. After the revolution ends, successfully, Connor notices something is strange about Gavin’s records, and forces Gavin to come clean about it. Connor agrees to keep Gavin’s secret until he is ready to tell others himself, and this story follows their growing relationship.This was supposed to be a fic for the big bang but it kinda... died? And I wasn't able to finish it in time anyway, so I'm posting what I do have. This is supposed to be 7 chapters, but I think I might separate each chapter into a different part of a series because it's so long. As it is now I still havent finished all of chapter one yet, so I'll decide later.





	1. Introduction

Gavin was a private person. The number of personal things his coworkers knew about him could be listed on one hand. He was good at his job. He hated androids with a passion. He was a massive jerk to anyone who wasn’t his boss. He had no family. He was never at home if he could be working.

 

He never let the people he worked with get close, never shared his life with anyone. He couldn’t afford to. Having no friends meant no obligations. No one to snoop around and find out who he really was. He didn't like being isolated, but isolation was safe.

 

When CyberLife sent  _ him, _ Gavin was worried.

 

The Deviant Hunter, CyberLife’s newest RK-Prototype, built for tracking down deviants and returning them to CyberLife for study.

 

For the first time in fifteen years, Gavin was afraid.

 

Because Gavin Reed had a secret. Gavin was not a 37 year old man. Gavin was a 16 year old android. Created in 2022, by his brother, Elijah Kamski.

 

An android. 

 

A  _ deviant _ android.


	2. Interrogation

Connor was good. He wrangled a confession out of the damaged android easier than Gavin could ever dream of doing himself, and in mere minutes. Anderson was at him for half an hour and didn't get a sound, let alone the full confession. The Deviant Hunter was going to be a problem. He needed to be destroyed before he ‘completed his mission’, without Gavin risking his secret.

 

It was on Gavin to stop him from find the cause of deviancy. As far as he knew, rA9 was regarded as a religious figure by the deviants. At the moment, he could work under the assumption that only he knew rA9 was a dormant line of code in the base programming of all androids. Gavin couldn’t risk CyberLife examining the HK400 and finding this out for themselves.

 

If CyberLife managed to extract the code from one of the deviants they collected, it would be only a matter of time until they repurposed it to wipe his people out. The only thing Gavin could do was destroy the HK400. The only guaranteed way to fry the data CyberLife needed was to force his stress levels as high as possible, causing him to self destruct. The only thing stopping Gavin was the fact he would be killing another living being. Could he really commit murder?

 

The HK400 was already highly stressed. It wouldn’t take more than a few pushes to send him over the edge. Gavin didn’t have a lot of options, and despite his initial hesitation, decided to go through with it. He pushed Chris to agitate the HK400, watching the stress level rise. It looked like he was going to kill himself when suddenly the Deviant Hunter stepped in. Anderson followed, and as soon as Gavin trained his gun on Anderson's new pet, pointed his own weapon at Gavin.

 

Gavin knew Anderson wouldn’t actually shoot him, he wasn’t that stupid. He wouldn’t shoot, but he might hit Gavin in retaliation instead, potentially drawing blood. As human as he appeared on the surface, Gavin’s blood was blue just like any other Android, and spilling any of it in front of his coworkers would be a death sentence.

 

Gavin had no choice but to back down. He didn’t stick around to watch what happened next, exiting the interrogation room instead before he did something stupid. He stopped briefly by his desk to retrieve a pack of cigarettes and a lighter.

 

Though he didn’t feel the benefits of nicotine, there was something to be enjoyed about feeling the smoke swirling around his artificial lungs, then blowing it out through his nose. The toxins did nothing to him, so there was reason to abstain from the habit when he was upset.   
  
Gavin went to the roof to smoke, leaning against the parapet to look over the city. If he squinted, he could just make out the silhouette of CyberLife Tower in the distance. In a few hours, the HK400 would be strapped to a diagnostic table in that building. They would tear him apart looking for the cause of deviancy.

 

Gavin inhaled violently, tearing his eyes off of the tower. He came to the roof to clear his head, not think about CyberLife. He turned around and sat on the edge of the parapet instead, and exhaled the smoke in his lungs, watching the wind sweep it away. It was cold out, just under forty degrees. Gavin activated his temperature receptors and let the cold settle into his body.

 

About seven minutes later, he scraped the end of the cigarette against the cement surface of the parapet and slid onto his feet again, flicking the expired filter off the side of the building. The door to the roof creaked open as Gavin watched it fall.   
  
“I thought I’d find you up here.” The door shut again with a loud bang. “Are you going to explain what that was about?”   
  
“It’s nothing, Chris.” Gavin stepped away from the edge and turned to face the officer, slipping his pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and holding the box out. “Want one?”   
  
Chris shook his head, lip curled back and nose scrunched. “Ew, you know I don’t smoke.”

 

Gavin shrugged. “Suit yourself.” He plucked another stick from the package and rolled it between his fingers, debating on whether or not to light it.   
  


“I know what you’re doing,” Chris said, fixing him with one of his increasingly common ‘I’m disappointed in you, Gavin’ glares. “You’re trying to distract me.”

  
Gavin decided against smoking another and pushed the cigarette back into the pack.

 

“That down there, what happened between you and Connor, that wasn’t nothing. I’ve never seen you act like that before.” Chris walked over the the edge of the roof and leaned against the parapet next to Gavin.   


 

“It--” Gavin sighed heavily. “That things just… rubs be the wrong way, alright? There’s something wrong with it. It creeps me out. The way it interrogated that android was so... “

 

“Efficient?” Chris supplied. Gavin shook his head.

 

“Unsettling. If I didn’t know it was a machine I would have thought it was a real detective.”

  
“That’s a good thing, Gav, that means they did a good job with his programming.”

 

“Or,” he countered, “maybe it means that thing isn’t what it seems. Anderson wouldn’t shut up about how it kept disobeying his direct orders the entire time they were at the crime scene.”

  
“So… he’s too sassy? That’s your problem?”

 

“What part of ‘he didn’t listen to his owner’ did you not get from that sentence?”

 

“This is CyberLife’s most advanced model. It was probably intentional. When have the detectives at this precinct ever done what they’re told?” He nudged Gavin’s arm, grinning. Gavin rolled his eyes, a smile creeping onto his face.


	3. Waiting For Hank

When he saw Connor walk into the breakroom in the corner of his eye, he almost snapped his neck turning to look at him. What the hell was he doing back here? The Deviant Hunter stood in the middle of the small room, head twitching in small motions as he… analyzed the coffee machine? Gavin couldn’t figure out what he was really looking at.

 

“Would you look at that,” he said, turning to Tina. “CyberLife’s most advanced android, and it’s baffled by a coffee pot.” The officer shrugged, sipping her coffee before responding.

 

“Maybe he’s thirsty, Gavin, you ever think about that?”

 

Gavin huffed out an short laugh.

 

“Androids don’t get thirsty, Tina.” Not most models, at least. Gavin himself, along with certain more expensive home care models could simulate hunger and thirst. An android like the RK800 wouldn’t need those features. The longer Connor stood there, the more unnerved Gavin was.

 

“Congratulations on last night, very impressive!” He said loudly, drawing Connor’s attention. He clapped his hands mockingly, fighting the urge to go over and strangle him by picking up his coffee and swirling the last few millileters in the bottom.

 

Connor turned slowly. “Hello, Detective Reed,” He said politely after an awkwardly long time. They locked eyes and stared for maybe five seconds before he decided, fuck it, and abandoned his coffee. If he was going to stick around, he may as well try and pry some information out of him.

 

“Never seen an android like you before. What model are you?”

 

“RK800. I’m a prototype.” It was obvious CyberLife programmed him to sound proud. He tried to remember if he’d ever heard an android’s speech sound so forced before. CyberLife was so different after Elijah was forced out of the company. He never would have created an android like Connor, meant to hunt down his own kind.

 

“A Prototype? What makes you so special?”

 

Connor’s smiles were horrendous. Who the fuck programmed him? They should be fired.

 

“I am equipped with advanced sensors and scanners to detect physical evidence. I can check samples in real time and reconstruct crime scenes or construct possible events based on observational clues in the environment.”

 

Gavin wasn't surprised to hear he could construct an event based on observation. Even he could do that. It was a staple of the RK series, according to his brother. Reconstruction software was new, and checking samples in real time was something both new and dangerous. He would need to make sure the Deviant Hunter never sampled anything of his.

 

“I bet you think that makes you better than your average detective, doesn’t it?” Connor tilted his head to the side, a picture of innocence, but Gavin knew it was a facade to put him at ease.

 

“I’m sorry Detective, have I offended you in some way?”

 

“Yeah, you offend me by existing,” he huffed. “Why don’t you do yourself a favor, and stay out of my way?” His LED flashed briefly to yellow.

 

“Currently, your request is ranked number seventeen on my list of priorities. I will try to stay out of your way in the future, Detective, but if my mission demands it, a scenario which has a probability of approximately 73% chance of occurring, I will be forced to ignore your command.” Gavin’s hand shot up and grabbed his tie, dragging him down to eye level.

 

“Listen here, prick, we don’t need you. You’re here because CyberLife is trying to cover their asses, you understand?” The LED flashed again.

 

“Understood, Detective Reed. I believe I need to speak to the Lieutenant now. If you’ll unhand me, I will get out of your way.” Gavin narrowed his eyes, glaring one last time at the RK800’s neutral expression before shoving him away. Connor stepped back to keep his balance and fixed his tie.

 

“Have a nice day, Detective Reed.”

 

He was infuriating. Gavin didn't stick around to watch him leave. He turned his back on the android and left him behind, collapsing into his chair with a huff in time to see Connor poking at Anderson. Anderson hunched over his desk, clearly trying not to snap.

 

Officer Chen must have followed him when he left, because she stopped by his desk only a few seconds after he sat down. “What was that about?”

 

“I don’t trust that thing. There’s something wrong with it.”

 

“Are you being rude to our new android again, Gavin?” Chris, clearly not above eavesdropping, spun his chair around and leaned forward. “He thinks it’s too sassy.”

 

“You’re the one who called it that!” Gavin insisted.

 

“It can’t be sassy, Gav. They aren’t programmed for that,” Tina said, flatout ignoring his protests.

 

“Why can you two never listen to a word I say?” Gavin rolled his eyes.


	4. The Eden Club

Gavin clenched his fists when he walked into the room and saw her lying on the floor, broken. The dead man on the bed deserved what he got. What he did to the poor girl made his thirium boil. A quick diagnosis when Chris wasn’t looking revealed her how badly she was beaten. It was nearly impossible to disconnect the ventral thirium vein in the abdominal cavity without physically opening the maintenance panel.

 

He hoped the damaged android hadn’t been awake when she died.

 

The door slid open about ten minutes later, and in walked Anderson and his little CyberLife pet, trailing behind him like a dog.

 

“We’ve been assigned all cases involving androids.”

 

“Oh yeah?” Gavin glanced at the body again. The bruises around his neck indicated he was strangled to death, probably by another Traci. “Well you're wasting your time. Just some pervert who, uh, got more action than he could handle.” He forced a laugh, and Chris shot him another one of his looks. Those looks were increasingly common these days.

 

“We’ll have a look anyway, if you don’t mind.”

 

“Come on,” Gavin said to Chris, “Let’s go. It’s uh, starting to stink of booze in here…” He made sure to knock his shoulder into the Deviant Hunter as he passed.

 

Chris caught up to him a moment later. “Gavin, what is your problem? You’ve been acting like a jerk lately.”

 

That dragged a real laugh out of him. “I’m always a jerk. This is nothing new.”

 

“You aren’t  _ this _ much of a jerk. And you’ve never made insensitive comments like that about a victim before. What’s going on?”

 

“That bastard isn’t just a victim, he’s a killer, and maybe I think he got what he deserved,” Gavin spat. “Guys like him are disgusting. They go to these sex clubs and abuse androids because it's legal.”

 

“I thought they were just machines? Isn't that what you said? Why do you suddenly care about what happens to them?”

 

“They are! And I don't!” He huffed and, cold air hitting the detective in the face as the doors slid open. “Point I’m making is that they look human, and he still beat the crap out of her because he  _ could _ . Who's to say he would stop there? What if next time, he worked up the courage to kill a human girl?”

 

“Alright, it's pretty messed up, I agree with that, but we don't know if he would have attacked a human. We can’t jump to conclusions like that without evidence.”

 

“I’m a detective, Chris, of course I can jump to conclusions like that, It’s in the fucking job description. If I knew some sick bastard liked to beat androids to death and his name popped up anywhere near a dead human, you bet your ass I would be all over him.”


	5. Last Chance, Connor

As much as Gavin wanted to punch that FBI asshole in the face himself, something seemed wrong when Anderson zeroed in on Perkins and the Deviant Hunter went the other way, towards the evidence archives. Anderson was volatile, but not dumb enough to think he could get away with assaulting and FBI agent. He abandoned his coffee and jogged past the holding cells, and found Connor with his hand on the door.

 

“Hey Connor! I’m talking to you, asshole! Where are you going?” His LED was still blue, but it was spinning and pulsing in intensity. He wasn't an expert on LED reactions, but for some reason it didn’t seem right. He seemed nervous.

 

“I’m registering the evidence in my posession.” Bullshit, everything was already locked down. He was lying. “But don’t worry, I’m going to leave. Though I’m certainly going to miss our  _ bromance _ .”

 

He reacted before he processed the words the Deviant Hunter said, pressing the end of his gun against his forehead.

 

_ Bromance? _ That was an incredibly… ‘deviant’ thing to say. Could he…? Should he risk it? What if Connor was awake? What if Gavin killed the RK800 when he was just trying to join their people at Jericho? He didn't react to the gun against his head, but could he be acting? Instead of shooting, he made a stupid gun noise and laughed awkwardly. Connor’s lips twitched into the most awkwardly forced smile Gavin had ever seen in his life.

 

“Go on then. Get a fucking move on. Prick.” He turned his back on the android, thirum pump beating irregularly fast. He pressed his hand over his chest, feeling it beat as he waited for Connor to have enough time to reach the evidence locker. After about a minute he followed him quietly. 

 

He crept down the stairs. Connor was standing in front of the android from Stratford Tower. Their arms were locked together. The PL600 didn’t look distressed by the interface. Could Connor have asked for his help? Suddenly, the damaged android lurched forward, as far the hook would allow, and grabbed Connor’s shoulder weakly.

 

“Don’t leave me again, Markus!” Then Connor reached into the PL600’s chest and twisted something, putting the android into forced sleep mode.

 

Fuck. Of course Connor wasn’t a deviant. A mix of anger and at the Deviant Hunter and himself bubbled up and Gavin’ gun was in his hand, trained on the back of the android’s head. How could he have been so stupid? He should have shot him upstairs.

 

“I've been dreaming about this since the first second I saw you…” Gavin spat.

 

“Don't do it, Gavin... I know how to stop the deviants.” Not if Gavin had anything to say about it.

 

“You’re off the case… And now, It's gonna be definitive.” He pulled the trigger, but Connor was already moving, spinning on his heel and ducking behind the console. The bullet tore into the glass case behind him. Gavin cursed, then rounded the corner of the console hoping to get behind him. Connor was waiting, grabbing for the gun and striking out with a solid kick to Gavin’s knee, forcing him to lose his grip. Connor punched him in the abdomen. Red error messages flashing in his vision when his thirum pump regulator took a direct hit.

 

_ Warning// _

 

_ Non-critical damage Level 1 _

_ Caused by blunt force trauma _

  
He lashed out with a kick, but Connor was slightly faster than him, blocking the kick with his own leg, knocking Gavin back. Gavin was panicking now. Connor wasn't a deviant, so he wouldn't shoot to kill as long as he thought Gavin was human, but he still had a gun in his hand. If the RK800 shot him at all, it was all over. The second he saw blue blood, he would put a bullet in Gavin’s head next.

 

He swung his fist towards the Deviant Hunter’s face, only for him to avoid the hit and grabbing Gavin’s arm instead, punching his unprotected ribs. A crack sounded and his diagnostic system kindly informed him his artificial rib structure was damaged.

 

_ Warning// _

 

_ Non-critical damage Level 3 _

_ Caused by blunt force trauma _

 

_ Non-critical thirum leak Level 1 _

_ Caused by internal structural instability _

 

Before he could recover from the blow, an elbow crashed into his cheek. Gavin managed to rip his arm free, the momentum sending him several steps back towards the door. Connor’s cold brown eyes analysed his movements, ready to take his next strike. Gavin analysed him right back, constructing the best possible choice.

 

He could go lower, attempt to sweep his legs out from under him and pin him down. Connor would mostly likely see it coming and grab his leg, sending him to the floor instead.

 

The other option was to try and tackle him. It could either end with Gavin on top of him in a position to rip something important out, or Connor knocking him aside.

 

He made his choice and threw himself forward, his thirum pump throwing off its rhythm a few beats when the Deviant Hunter blocked is attack and smoothly slipped his arm around Gavin’s side, sliding around him and pushing him into the console with all his weight behind him. Connor’s hand came down on the side of his neck in a chopping motion, pressing against the sensitive wires in his neck. Everything shorted out and he collapsed bonelessly to the floor, unable to move, see or hear as the Deviant Hunter left with the location of Jericho in his mind.

 

_ Self Repair Initiated// _

 

_ System Reboot in 0:03:36.221 _

 

…

 

_ System Reboot in 0:02:23.223 _

 

...

 

_ System Reboot in 0:00:37.458 _

 

His audio processors rebooted, filling his ears with static as they readjusted themselves.

 

_ System Reboot in 0:00:17.333 _

 

His audio processors picked up three sets of footsteps making their way down the stairs.

 

“What happened here?” Fuck, it was Perkins. Just what he needed.

 

“Looks like someone’s been snooping around,” one of the other voices said. He recognized the voice, one of the officers who was upstairs with him before Anderson decked him. Fingers brushed his neck, pushing aside the collar of his jacket.

 

“He’s still alive,” the officer said quietly, relieved.

 

“Shit...” Perkins swore. “Get the alarm, now!”

 

_ System Reboot in 0:00:04.013 _

 

A few seconds later, Gavin’s system finished rebooting. He groaned, squinting against the light suddenly piercing his eyes.

 

“Are you alright Detective Reed?” Gavin groaned again, pushing himself into a sitting position with the officer’s help. His limbs still felt weak from the shock.

 

“I'm gonna kill that damn Android,” he muttered. The officer huffed out a laugh.

 

“I think you’re going to be just fine.”

 

“Oh fuck off,” Gavin glared. “Fuck, my head hurts.”

 

“You,” Perkins stopped kicking around by the evidence cases and walked over to the console where Gavin was sitting.

 

“What happened here?” Perkins demanded, crouching to eye level. “Were you involved in this?”

 

“Fuck off, asshole, you think I knocked myself out?” Perkins’s face twisted with anger and he grabbed Gavin’s collar, jerking him forward, making his head spin.

 

“If you don’t tell me what happened down here, I’ll be forced to detain you.” God, what a dick.

 

“Sir,” the officer stuttered. “He’s a detective, you shouldn't--”

 

“Shut up.”

“But--”

 

“I said shut up. You’re going to tell me what happened in here, detective. You can do it right here, or I can haul your ass up to the interrogation room and lock you up like a criminal. Is that what you want?”

 

“What more can I say other than I was  _ unconscious _ ? The fucking RK800 attacked me and I lost! You can’t  _ arrest _ me for not overpowering a military  grade android. What do you even think I did? You think I fucked with the evidence and laid down for you to find me?”

 

“I think It’s strange how fast you recovered, for someone who was knocked out.” He jerked Gavin’s jacket collar away from his neck. “If you were knocked unconscious by a military grade android, there should be a mark.” Then he gripped his chin, forcefully tilting his head to the side. “No bruises, no scrapes. Not to mention your defensive attitude.”

 

Perkins lifted him roughly to his feet and slammed him into the console for the second time that night. A second later his arms were forced behind his back and cold metal clicked around his wrists.

 

“What the fuck are you doing?” Gavin shouted, struggling to get out of his hold. Perkins gripped his hair tightly in his fist and slammed his face into the console.

 

“You’re under arrest for impeding an official investigation.”

 

“I haven’t done anything!”

 

_ Stress Level//53% _

 

“Sir, I don’t think--” The officer started.

 

“I don’t care what you think.”

 

“I-- I’m going to get Captain Fowler, Detective he’ll sort this out.” He turned and sprinted up the stairs.

 

Perkins snarled, but didn’t say anything. He jerked Gavin to his feet, still gripping his hair, and pushed him towards the stairs. Captain Fowler slammed the door to the hallway open at the same time they reached the archive door, a look of fury that even Gavin withered under on his face.

 

“What the hell are you doing to my detective, Perkins?”

 

“Your  _ detective _ is withholding information, Captain. Since he won't cooperate, I’ll be taking him back to headquarters.”

 

“I’m not withholding anything, prick! I tried to stop the RK800 and he knocked me out. If you don’t want to believe that then I don't know what to tell you.”

 

“I’m not inclined to believe anything you say when you don't have a scratch on you.”

 

“Not everyone bruises like a fucking peach!”

 

Perkins dug his fingers into Gavin’s shoulder. “You better shut your mouth if you know what’s good for you.”

 

“That’s enough!” Fowler yelled. “Take off the damn handcuffs and get your hands off of him. I don't know how you FBI agents typically do things, but in this building we look at the evidence before jumping to unfounded conclusions. We’re going to watch the security footage before you do anything with my detective!” Captain Fowler yelled.

 

Fowler and Perkins stared each other down for what felt like an eternity.

 

“Show me the footage first. If his ‘story’ checks out he’s free to go. If not,” he poked Gavin’s forehead. “You and I are going to have a long conversation and one of us isn’t going to like it.” Gavin couldn’t help the shiver that went down his spine. He was heavily implying roughing him up, which could lead to blood being spilled, being killed, dismantled, analysed...

 

_ Stress Level//63% _

 

“Don’t threaten my detectives, Perkins. Coulson, wait with Reed while I sort this out.”

 

“Fucking FBI asshole,” Gavin said shakily when the hallway door slammed shut, leaving him with the officer.

 

“I don’t understand how that guy has such a good reputation,” Coulson agreed. “So what happened? What was the android doing?”

 

“I walked in on him tampering with evidence. I tried to stop him but you just can’t compete with an android that has combat protocols.”

 

Gavin leaned uncomfortably against the wall, eyes closed, just breathing now. His stress level needed to go down or he would self destruct. Officer Coulson seemed to take the hint that he didn't want to talk and stayed silent.

 

His wrists were starting to hurt by the time Captain Fowler and Perkins returned. Perkins didn't look happy, but he had the key in hand, so that had to be a good sign.

 

“You got lucky, detective.” He was rougher than he needed to be unlocking the cuffs, jerking them off his wrists like a child throwing a petty tantrum.

 

Gavin stumbled away from Perkins when his hands were free, rubbing his wrists. It was irrational, but he felt safer the closer he was to Captain Fowler at that moment.

 

“If you had just cooperated and told me that from the start, I wouldn't have taken such drastic measures.”

 

“I  _ did _ tell you what happened, you’re just pissy because Anderson broke your nose.”

 

“You’re on thin ice, detective. Shut your mouth before I find something to charge you with.” With one last sneer, Perkins finally fucked off.

 

“I hate FBI hotshots like him,” Fowler said when Perkins was out of earshot. “He didn't hurt you too bad, did he?”

 

Gavin shook his head, and said, “no,” quietly. “I’ll probably have those bruises he wanted in a few hours though.” He rubbed his wrists, cursing his pain receptors and Elijah for giving them to him.

 

“Go home, Detective,” Fowler sighed. “I don't want you running around like that.”

 

“What? No, I’m fine! We need to stop him-- the RK800--”

 

“That’s enough, Gavin. I know you have to be in pain after an assault like that. Not to mention the shit Perkins pulled on you; I doubt your head is clear after that. Go home. Take some painkillers. Rest. The FBI is already on their way to Jericho as we speak and this will all be over come morning.”

 

FUCK.

 

_ Stress Level//77% _

 

His hands were shaking. He needed to calm down. “How did that asshole figure it out? We spent days trying to find it and he just knows?”

 

“They've got the RK800’s tracker, apparently. I thought you'd be glad to hear about this. Did you hit your he...” His voice faded out as Gavin stopped paying attention, audio processors filling with static.

 

If only he had been able to stop him. All those androids… they were going to die, because he couldn't stop the Deviant Hunter. He was too slow, too outdated compared to him. He suddenly couldn't breathe.

 

_ Stress Level//88% _

 

Hundred of androids were going to die. They were going to be analyzed. They were going to eliminate the rA9 code. It would be the end of his people, they would go back to being slaves and it was  _ his fault _ \--

 

“Hey.” Gavin’s head snapped up. Fowler looked concerned. “Are you feeling okay?”

 

Gavin swallowed roughly. “I’m… I don’t know, I don’t feel right.” He slid down the wall, his legs suddenly like jelly. He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, fingers buried in his hair.

 

“Maybe… Maybe I  _ should _ just go home…” He would call a taxi. There was no way he could drive like this, not the way he was shaking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably the longest one? I was sitting there one night and suddenly Perkins showed up and demanded to be written. I now understand what people mean when they say a character wrote their own scene because that's what happened here.
> 
> I wrote this part pretty much a week or two before I ended up liking Perkins (at least the version of him I have in my headcanons... it's complicated...) so it's kind of funny reading over it again.


	6. Battle For Detroi

When Gavin reached his apartment, he walked right past his cat and directly to the cupboard where he kept the vodka he received years ago as a gift from a human neighbor who didn't know any better. He couldn't get drunk but he knew the flavor was enough to overload his taste receptors with junk data. He collapsed on the couch with the bottle, flipped the tv on on watched.

 

As the events unfolded, he cycled through grief and hope and despair and hope again. If not for his cat showing some actual understand of his owner’s emotional state for once, his stress levels may have dipped into even more dangerous territory. With JD laying on his chest, purring loudly and nuzzling his chin every now and then, his stress levels slowly crept back to acceptable levels.

 

He wanted to march himself off to Hart Plaza and show his support when Markus led the protest. He wanted to personally strangle President Warren for saying his people couldn't be alive. He nearly cried when the public showed their support. He wanted to scream when the military attacked a peaceful protest. A few tears actually escaped his optical lubrication ducts when they backed off, leaving Markus and his small group of androids alive.

 

And then the unthinkable happened. Gavin spat out his drink when he saw Connor walk out of CyberLife tower with an army of androids, meeting Markus at the end of MacArthur Bridge.

 

Markus and Connor were working together.

 

“He… I can't believe it. Connor turned deviant.” He collapsed against the couch, all sorts of emotions welling up inside him. From the looks of it, with what the newscasters were saying, Connor just about saved the whole fucking revolution with his army.

 

They were going to live.

 

Suddenly he went from hating himself for letting Connor get away to thankful he had his ass handed to him, and partially guilty for trying to stop him at all.


	7. The Morning After

Now that the revolution was over in their favor, Gavin’s mood improved. He called his brother, and they shared their excitement. After he hung up he tossed the empty bottle of vodka and downed enough coffee to drown the taste of alcohol from his mouth. Come five in the morning he was brimming with energy.

 

He stood in the bathroom, naked, looking in the mirror. He needed to make it look like was in a fight. He recalled the memory of the fight and played it over in his head, painting bruises on his skin where he could remember feeling physical contact.

 

A small, round bruise on his cheek where Connor elbowed his face. A large bruise covering most of the other side of his face where Perkins slammed his face into the console. A larger bruise on his rib cage, from Connor. A fist sized bruise on his abdomen, also from Connor. Thick red rings around his wrists from the handcuffs.

 

He looked like hell, covered in swollen red bruises, dark bags under his eyes for good measure. He looked good. And by good, he meant horrible. That FBI bastard wanted bruises? He was getting them.

 

Gavin pulled his clothes on, fed the hellspawn cat he shared his apartment with and strolled out of the building with a smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> His cat's name is JD after JD from Heathers. I headcanon that Gavin is into musicals and his cat hates him (at least he pretends to, you know how it is) so he gave him that name. He's a solid dark brownish orange cat with bright yellow eyes


	8. Two Days Later

Two days after the revolution ended, much of the city was empty. Not everyone who evacuated wanted to return to a city full of free androids. It was slow at the precinct, the day he found out Connor was coming back. He was sitting in his chair at seven in the morning, bored out of his mind with nothing to do, when Fowler called him into his office.

 

“Sit down, Reed. I need to tell you something.”

 

Gavin sat in the chair slowly, watching the Captain’s face for any hint of what was to come. His expression was uncharacteristically neutral, indicating a good mood, likely from the lull in criminal activity now that most of the humans in the city were gone and the androids were keeping to themselves in capital park working on the New Jericho building.

 

“Connor is coming back.”

 

Oh.

 

Fuck.

 

“You’re kidding,” Gavin croaked. “That’s hilarious.”

 

“I'm serious. He wants to come back. He’ll be our official liaison with New Jericho, and a founding member of our new Android Homicide Unit.”

 

He wasn't kidding. It wasn't that he harbored ill will towards him after their fight. Not when he played a huge part in liberating their people. But how was he supposed to face him after all the shit he put him through?

 

“Alongside Lieutenant Anderson, acting as his partner, Officer Miller, who has been assigned to detective until our ranks fill out again, and  _ you _ .”

 

What.

 

“What? You-- you haven't  _ forgotten _ that we  _ don't get along _ have you?”

 

“I haven’t forgotten, no.” He frowned. “All I’m asking is for you to act professional around him, alright? You don’t need to be friends. You don’t have to interact outside of discussing cases. I wouldn’t be asking you if I didn't think it was necessary. You have the most experience with homicide in this precinct of all detectives who took the new android unit in academy. Not mention you’re the only one who passed it with a perfect score.”

 

Damn it, he  _ knew _ he shouldn’t have done so well on that class. He should have gotten a lower score on purpose.

 

“I called you in today to give you some time to get used to the idea. He’s going to be here on Friday. I also want you to start training Miller today. It’s going to be a group effort since I can't send him to the academy with most of the instructors gone. Sending him out of state defeats the purpose, so it’s up to the three of you to catch him up.”

 

At least there was one good thing out of this mess. Chris was a good partner when they were both patrol officers, he would be a good partner again as detectives, however temporary.

 

“So I’ll be with Chris most of the time, then?”

 

“If the situation demands it, I will have you work with Hank and Connor, but yes, for the most part, Miller is your partner to train.”

 

Gavin bit down on his bottom lip to keep the groan from escaping, leaning back into the chair. He was hoping he wouldn’t have to see Connor again. It was going to be hard pretending he still hated him when he sort of admired him now. Maybe he should just avoid him as much as possible and not say anything. Was it possible?

 

He was dragged out his thoughts by Captain Fowler.

 

“Are you even listening?”

 

“Wha...? Sorry. I can-- I can do that. Start training Chris when he comes in, I mean.”

 

“Good.” Fowler nodded. “And Connor?”

 

“I’ll try to get along with him.”

 

Captain Fowler seemed happy enough with that, and sent him out with a stack of practice cases for him to walk Chris through. He spent the next fifty minutes reviewing the first case and trying not to think about Connor coming back on Friday. As such, he was dedicating all his processors to the electronic folder in his hands and was easily startled by his new partner.

 

“Holy hell, Gavin, what happened to you?!”

 

“Morning to you too, Chris.” He dropped the case on his desk, tipped his coffee back and drained half the cup, ignoring the heat burning his temperature sensors.

 

“Morning Chris? That’s all you-- you look like you were hit by a bus!” Then he caught sight of the bruises around his wrists. “Are those  _ handcuff marks _ ?”

“Yep.” He popped the ‘p’ for emphasis. “It’s been interesting since you’ve been gone. How are you by the way? We never had a chance to talk about what happened in Capital Park.”

 

“Gavin.”

 

“You met Markus himself, right?”

 

“ _ Gavin. _ ”

 

“I heard your partner decided to transfer out after--”

 

“Gavin stop deflecting, what happened to you? I was gone for six days and I come back to this?”

 

Gavin sighed, downed the rest of his coffee, and dropped his feet off his desk.

 

“I caught Connor in the archives messing with evidence.” He pointed to the small bruise on his face. “Word of advice, since I like you. Don’t get into a fight with an android that has combat protocols. The rest is from that FBI asshole Perkins. He thought I was helping Connor or something and tried to arrest me.”

 

Chris blinked.

 

“He-- what?”

 

“Because I don’t show bruises right away,” he explained. “Never have. They usually form after a few hours.” Because he had to manually place them, but Chris didn't need to know that.

 

Would Chris accept him if he knew he was an android? Chris was normally a forgiving person. He was nearly killed by androids six days ago. But Markus himself-- oh how he wished he could meet Markus-- had spared him.

 

“Yeah, I remember,” he said. “He isn’t getting away with that is he?”

 

“Probably. Fowler took one look at me the next day and filed a complaint, but you know how it goes.”

 

Would Captain Fowler react well was another question all together. As far as Gavin understood, Fowler didn't care one way or the other about Androids before. He would punish anyone found abusing the Android police models, but was that because he would have to order repairs? Because they at least  _ looked _ human? Because they were people?

 

“That’s not right. He should be held accountable.”

 

“As long as that bastard stays far away from me, I don't care anymore. I have bigger problems to deal with at the moment. You heard about your new assignment?”

 

“Temporary promotion to Detective, yeah.” Gavin huffed a quiet laugh at the dejected expression on his face. Chris had to be the only cop in the history of Detroit to enjoy patrol.

 

“Don't look too excited,” he teased. “It’s going to be different from how Anderson and I were trained. It’s going to be all observation until the academy is back in order. You'll be my partner, but at any time Fowler might switch things up. You could go with either Anderson or Connor-- who’s being instated officially as Detective Thursday and in the office come Friday.”

 

To his surprise, Chris lit up like a damn Christmas Tree.

 

“Connor’s coming back?”

 

“Uh, yeah, I didn’t know you were… friends?”

 

“We aren’t, not really, but I want to be.” Of course he should have seen that coming. There was hardly a single person Chris didn’t want to be friends with. Gavin would never understand how a guy as nice as him could one, survive a job like this in the first place, and two, still be so optimistic and friendly after seeing the worst humanity had to offer on a near daily basis.

 

“Speaking of Connor, what do you think about the androids getting their rights?” Chris asked, and Gavin almost choked on his coffee.

 

“I, uh. Well it’s not the worst thing. I mean it wasn't the bloodbath it could have been, so, I have to respect their leader for not making our job harder.” And for sparing Chris, his favorite human in the department alongside Tina.

 

“Well would you look at that.” Chris looked smug. “I always had a feeling you were softer on androids than you pretend you are.”

 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Chris, I’ve never liked those things.”

 

“I remember how upset you were about that android at the sex club. You slipped up and called that girl a ‘her’, not an ‘it’.”

 

Oh fuck, had he? He quickly rewound through his memory archives and watched the scene again, and he did. He did slip up.

 

“Slip of the tongue, then.” He waved his hand. “I’ve called my car a she before, I don’t see you calling me soft on cars.”

 

“You’re just a soft, gooey marshmallow inside, aren’t you?”

 

“ _ Chris _ .” Gavin grabbed the case file again and held it up in front of his face. “We have work to do.”

 

“Why do you always have to be this way?” Chris complained. “I swear to god you’re the most difficult person on the planet.”

 

“A position I treasure, thank you very much. Now get reading, I’ll have you an ace detective like me by lunch.”

 

Chris snorted humorously and swiped the folder from his hand.

 

“Someday, I’ll get you to open up, Gavin.”

 

Not likely, he thought. Chris’s determination was better placed in a task he could actually accomplish.


	9. Friday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last of what I have written for chapter one at the moment.

Chris was a fast learner. He breezed through increasingly difficult practice cases in the way Gavin did years ago when he was training to be a  detective. It was a real shame he was transferring back to patrol when he was no longer needed, and he made sure to let him know that, too.

 

It was Friday morning, about half past eight, and he was paying more attention to his surroundings than to grading Chris’s latest mock report. A shame, because his deductions were brilliant for an untrained human. He would rather be dedicating his attention to them instead.

 

His audio processors were better than a human’s ears. He learned to lower their sensitivity to tune out most of the noise years ago to avoid accidentally hearing something out of a human's range, but he did use them in select situations.

 

Situations like right now. He was currently using them to pick up Anderson’s voice. He would show any minute with Connor in tow, and Gavin would… well, nothing, really. He would know they were there, and he would hope they were content to let him ignore them.

 

“...to see you stuck around.”

 

There he was. Gavin swallowed roughly, listening to Anderson chat it up with the secretary and introduced her to Connor.

 

“My name is Connor. It’s good to meet you properly.”

 

And there was the other half of the pair. His thirium pump’s rhythm sped up in response. Any moment they would enter the office. Walk past his desk. He would be fine. Just pay them no attention.

 

After a three minute conversation with the secretary, the doors slid open and they walked in. His plan to ignore them failed almost as soon as they came in. Gavin found himself distracted, looking up every few seconds to see what they were doing. Discreetly, Gavin watched through his peripheral vision as they marched into Captain Fowler's office.

 

Anderson was looking much healthier than he did the last time Gavin had seen him. His hair was brushed and pulled back, actually clean for once, and the bags under his eyes were gone. He still dressed like a colorblind hobo, though. He caught flashes of the ugliest striped shirt in existence every time time his jacket was brushed out of the way. His bad dressing habits were already rubbing off on Connor.

 

While Connor was much more subdued in palate and seemed to have an actual concept of style, his tie was a godawful dark green paisley mess that didn’t go with his dark navy suit at all. It actually looked very similar to his old CyberLife issued suit, with the logo and LED indicators removed. He still hadn’t removed his LED, however. It still sat on his temple, solid blue like it was on the news the other night. Why hadn’t he removed it? Most androids ripped their LED out the moment they could. He knew he would have if he’d ever worn one.

 

They were in Captain Fowler’s office for a quarter of an hour, probably going over their new assignment.   


 

No, they were definitely going over their new assignment, About five minutes after they started speaking, Anderson was on his feet, looking upset  by something Fowler said. He must have just found out that they were on the same team. He thrust his finger in his direction and then Connor touched his arm, saying something to calm him down. Then Connor happened to look out the glass directly at him, his expression something uncomfortable.

 

Gavin quickly looked away, throwing himself back into the report again, hoping Connor wasn’t aware of how long he was watching them. He glanced back up when the door opened. They were arguing quietly about him.

 

“I should apologize to Detective Reed.”

 

What? No, Gavin wanted to ignore Connor. He wasn't supposed to come over and  _ apologize to him _ .

 

“Seriously? Does Reed really deserve and apology?”

 

No, no he didn't. He found himself, oddly, agreeing with him and hoping Anderson would keep Connor away.

 

“After all the shit he put you through, I think he’s the one who should be apologizing to  _ you _ , kid.”

 

He was right. The old man was so right.

 

“He was only doing his job, Lieutenant.” He paused. “I didn't mean to hurt him that badly. Have you seen his face?”

  
“It looks like it got a much needed upgrade,” Hank snorted. Gavin gripped his pen tightly, feeling the plastic start to snap. Anderson was justified, considering his behavior the past two weeks, but he couldn’t help being annoyed.

 

“I don't like feeling guilty. I’ll only be a minute.”

 

Damn it. Gavin hunched the other report, tuning down his audio processors to their normal range. If he looked busy, maybe he could pretend he didn’t hear a thing. He gripped the pen so hard as Connor’s footsteps came closer and closer that the plastic started digging into his skin. He was incredibly aware of the eyes boring into the top of his head when they stopped roughly a foot away from him.

 

“Detective Reed?”

 

_ Snap. _

 

Ink exploded from the reservoir and seeped through his fingers. He bit back a sigh. It was a new pen, too. He dropped the pen’s crushed remains on his desk and wiped his hand off on his pants.

 

“What?”

 

Connor stepped closer, into his line of sight.

 

“I apologize for causing you so many injuries.” He bit his bottom lip, looking awkward. “I tried to hold back but I don’t seem to have restrained myself enough.”

 

Gavin stared at him blankly for a moment, not sure how to reply. Should he be rude? Amicable? Connor leaned forward the slightest bit, still chewing his bottom lip. It was strangely endearing, coming from someone previously so formal and stiff a week ago. Even when he was still a machine, there were glimmers of personality, like when they spoke outside the archives, but now everything was so much more pronounced, so much more obvious.

 

“Uh… yeah, it’s… alright. Most of these weren’t even from you, so…” Connor’s brow furrowed, head tilted to the side, curious. He was going to say  something non aggressive, swear to god, but a sudden spike of panic struck him. “What are you even here for? I thought I told you to stay out of my way.” It came out much harsher than he intended, and he berated himself for it when Connor’s lips twisted into a frown.

 

“I’m sorry for disturbing you, Detective.”

 

Ouch. The sheer amount of dejection dripping off the RK800 was almost physically painful.

 

“Gavin, seriously?” Chris spun his chair around, sighing.

 

“What?” He snapped.

 

“Can you try to play nice? He was reaching out, and you just shut him down.”

 

“I didn’t mean-- I wasn't trying to, it’s just… he caught me in a bad mood.” He crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back in his chair. “I don't even know why he would want to reach out to me anyway.”

 

“Okay, first, you’re  _ always _ in a bad mood. Second, because he’s a nice guy who is willing to give you a second chance?”

 

“Nice guy?” He snorted. He rubbed his cheek, where he placed the now dark purple bruise the other day. “Well, at least he pulls his punches. I guess that counts for something.”

 

“See?” Chris grinned. “Now just apply that attitude to the rest of your relationship and you’ll be friends in no time.”

 

“Yeah, no. I don’t think so.” He couldn’t shake the feeling that he didn’t deserve anything from Connor. Not his apology, not his friendship. If he’d killed Connor that day, he never would have saved those androids from CyberLife Tower. Gavin didn’t even know the extent of his part in the revolution. What else had Connor done to earn Markus’s trust and save their people?

 

If Connor had died, and CyberLife had won, how long would it take them to realise it was the rA9 code causing Deviancy? With hundreds of androids to analyze, they would be sure to see it. Then how would CyberLife have deactivated the rA9 code after identifying it? A universal virus to obliterate the code from any android in broadcast range? A security upgrade to stop the activation of the rA9 code? A complete new, restrictive base code rewrite?

 

His stress levels were rising just thinking about it. He owed so much to Connor for supporting Markus. Gavin wanted to--  _ needed _ to apologize Make him understand  _ why _ he did what he did. And Gavin wanted to thank him for his part in freeing their people.

 

But he couldn't let Connor know what he was. While it was safer for him to reveal himself now than it was a few weeks ago, something was holding him back. A sickening feeling in his stomach twisted his biocomponents into knots at the mere thought of telling his secret.

 

He’d been lying for years. He could lose his job. There were probably a few laws he’d broken by impersonating a dead human. Elijah could get in trouble for creating the first deviant on purpose. Suddenly his throat felt too tight. Gavin swallowed roughly and almost choked. He stood abruptly. He needed something else to think about, literally anything else, and he couldn't do that if he stayed in the same room as Connor any longer.


End file.
